"Andrews County encompasses 1,504 square miles of level, rolling prairie-land typical of the southern High Plains."The county was formed from Bexar County on August 21, 1876, a year after the first detailed explorations made by Col. William R. Shafter from his military base at Fort Concho. The county was named for Richard Andrews, a hero of the Texas Revolution who was killed at the battle of Concepción in 1835. Subsequent boundary alterations occurred in 1902, 1931, and 1932. For administrative purposes the area was placed within the jurisdiction of Shackelford County in 1876, within the Howard Land District from 1882 to 1887, and within the Martin Land District from 1887 to 1891. The area was placed within the jurisdiction of Martin County from 1891 until 1910, when Andrews County was formally organized with Andrews as its county seat."By 1910 ... the population was 975, principally farmers and ranchers."The terrible drought of 1917–18, World War I, the great influenza epidemic of 1917–18, blizzards, and a drop in cattle prices reduced county population to 350 in 1920. It was clear by this time that much county land was not suitable for farming."The 1920s ... saw the beginning of oil production in Andrews County."William R. Hunt, "ANDREWS COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online

I visited Andrews County and photographed the courthouse in Andrews on Sunday, July 29, 2012.

Looking north on US 385 between Andrews and Seminole

Andrews County Courthouse 1939

Image courtesy courthousehistory.com

1956 & 1960 additions. Image courtesy courthousehistory.com

Photograph, circa 1939, courtesy TXDOT

1956 & 1960 additions. Image courtesy courthousehistory.com

William Thomas Strange, Jr. was the architect for the original courthouse. Subsequently, in 1956 and 1960 additions were constructed on the front of the courthouse (a single-story with a new front entrance) and the rear of the courthouse (a three-story wing). A third addition was constructed on the north side (a two-story wing), date unknown. All of the additions are similar in design/style to the original building.

The front of the courthouse faces east and slightly north, on Main Street (US 385)

This, the main entrance, is part of a later addition to the orginial front facade of the courthouse

The northeast corner of the courthouse. The additions to the east and north sides of the original courthouse are visible in this view

The north side of the courthouse. Oddly, the addition on this facade only covered half of the original north facade, still visible on the right

The west side addition was the largest. This view is from the northwest

The Andrews County Courthouse Annex, on the west side of the courthouse square at the corner of NW Ave B and NW 1st Street

The west facade of the courthouse is an addition

The southwest corner of the courthouse. The west side addition has a slightly different brick color than the original masonry

The south facade is the only remaining original entrance to the courthouse